Dear NAPA Families,

Our first week went off with a bang with our fabulous Performance Team concert and a great vibe of excitement at the studio. Now they are Gold Coast Eisteddfod ready – chookas to all the teams! It was a challenging first week with the extra COVID restrictions, but it was made easier by the compliance of teachers, students and their family members to the rules provided - thank you. Our next performance is Abigail’s Coven. This will appeal to those of you who love a historical-based drama. With so many productions on this semester, we ask that you help set aside time for your child to practice. Lots of routines and musical numbers are on the online learning platform and most of our students should have lines, dance routines and lyrics down by now, so lots of extra effort is required from this point onwards.

CONGRATULATIONS PERFORMANCE TEAMS!

WOW!!!!! What a spectacular Performance Team concert! Our performers showed incredible talent, passion, technique, discipline, and stage presence. We have had rave reviews and feedback from audience members. It was such an enjoyable night of entertainment, and to see the joy bursting out from our cherubs throughout the experience, made it extra special. Kim and I would like to thank all of our teachers involved in getting our students to this standard, and a big thank you to our student and parent backstage helpers, the bar staff and everyone who helped with the pack up after the show. Great team effort everyone.

NEVERLAND AUDITIONS - REMINDER

Auditions for NEVERLAND lead roles are tonight - Monday 19th of July from 5.45-7.00pm

This audition is for all those who have registered to try out for a lead role in the dance concert. All dance students are part of the concert, regardless of whether they audition for a lead role. Please note - our Mini classes (Mini Tap, Mini Acro Jazz, Mini Tech, Mummy and Me, Primary Ballet) have their own concert and will not perform in NEVERLAND.

Good luck cherubs!

ABIGAIL'S COVEN

Directed by Scott Johnson and performed by the Senior Tread the Boards class, this powerful drama can be seen on 30 + 31 July. The play is based on some of the characters from Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Based on historical events the play looks behind the scenes to where Abigail is manipulating a group of girls for her own ends. What begins as a game ends in tragedy as peer pressure, ritual and jealousy overwhelm individual morality. It has been selected to challenge our seniors as it requires some advanced acting techniques. The cast have worked hard to meet the demands of the play under the guidance of Scott to give an exceptional performance. Don’t miss out at seeing this talented group perform by purchasing your tickets online.

PURCHASE TICKETS

COLLEGE APPLICATIONS FOR 2022

We have had lots of interest in students joining NAPA College next year. Please note we can only take students who are either going into Year 10 or Year 11 in 2022. This is a 2 or 3 year course. Applications close on 31 August. Once applications have been submitted you will be contacted with audition dates.

For those who are not sure what the College is about, it is a full-time course where students gain a CUA40520 Certificate IV in Musical Theatre conducted under our partnership with Australian Teachers of Dancing (RTO31624). Students will complete their senior schooling to gain their QCE through distance education. Their academic studies are supervised at NAPA as an extra service to free parents from home schooling commitments. When students begin this Nationally Accredited Training, the delivery and assessment will be conducted by NAPA. We ensure that highly respected industry professionals concentrate on developing the required skills and provide opportunities toward students achieving their goals. If you need to discuss this further, don’t hesitate to contact me to set up a meeting. ([email protected])

ENROL NOW

BROADWAY BOUND CHANGE

Scott has to go away for a few weeks for work commitments. This will fall in the middle of 13 The Musical rehearsals. To ensure greater consistency throughout the rehearsal process, I will step in to direct 13 starting this week. It is a musical I have directed before and know the students in this group. I look forward to working with such an awesome team of teachers and students.

FAREWELL AND BEST WISHES TO NADINE CHIA

We are so proud of our 2019 Graduate and now teacher, Nadine Chia. It has been an absolute delight to watch this talented performer grow from strength to strength during her time with us. We are so excited that she is conquering her goals and about to start the next step in her performance journey that she dared to dream about. Nadine’s last day with us will be 7 August and she flies out to New York on 21 August. We will miss Nadine greatly but wish her every success and happiness for the future. As an inspiration to our current students, I have asked Nadine to reflect on her experiences and her plans for the future which she has kindly done as you can see below. Enjoy!

Lynn Dyer

From NAPA to New York

Where do I even begin? For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nadine Chia. I am a 2019 NAPA graduate and have been a teacher at the studio ever since. I have always been an avid lover of theatre and all things dance, but training at NAPA made me realise just how much I truly loved it. As a teenager, a career in musical theatre never really crossed my mind. It was a hobby; something fun I did that took the pressure off from school. But the more musicals, plays and performances I did, the deeper my love grew. I soon realised that being on stage was where I felt my most authentic self.

For as long as I can remember, I dreamt of studying overseas. The USA was where I wanted to be. I knew the process of applying to theatre programs would be difficult, but I was prepared to put in the effort. SAT exams, essays, pre-screens, resumes and letters of recommendation…the to do list was never-ending. On top of studying for Grade 12, my role as Veronica in NAPA’s production of Heathers, and finishing all my university applications…I was drowning. But with the support of family, teachers, friends and countless cups of coffee, I managed to get everything done. I received call-backs from all the programs and flew to the USA for in-person auditions at the beginning of 2020. Long story short, I was lucky enough to get into my dream school: Pace University in New York City. I was in complete shock for about three days after receiving the call. It is an extremely competitive program with less than 5% accepted, and I couldn’t have been more excited. However, life never ever goes as planned…

When COVID-19 hit, I had no other choice but to defer from university. At the time I was completely devastated. I had worked so hard, I had achieved my goal, and now it was out of reach. But looking back, I realise how much I’ve learnt about myself this past year and a half, and all that I have to be grateful for:

Being a teacher at NAPA and seeing the incredible growth of my students
Learning more about myself as a performer and tackling things I find difficult
Spending more quality time with family and friends
Working on ‘me’, so I can show up every day as the best version of myself

Even though the journey has not been smooth sailing, I feel more prepared than ever to make the move to New York City. I leave on August 21st for a 4-year course (BFA Musical Theatre), and I feel extremely privileged to be able to train at the epicentre of culture and performing arts. With Broadway right on my doorstep, and countless dance studios around the city, words can’t explain how excited I am. These next four years will not be easy and I am sure there will be plenty of challenges. In saying that, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the training I’ve received. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for the teachers, students and everyone at NAPA who has helped me along the way. And so, I say goodbye, for now but not forever. xx

Nadine Chia

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